UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, November 18.1992
9
'Hawks hope to hone skills before game
Paul Kotz/ KANSAN
Richard Scott, junior forward, tries to back sophomore center Greg Oostertag's shot during men's basket ball practice in Allen Field House.
By David Dorsey Kansan sportswriter
After two weeks of practice, the Kansas men's basketball team is preparing for its first exhibition game of the season tomorrow night against Marathon Basketball Inc.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said that the first two weeks of practice, and last week in particular, were rough ones for his team.
"They're not going as well as I would like," he said. "But any other coach in the nation will tell you the same thing. We're not as consistent as I'd like to be, and we're not as conditioned as I'd like us to be."
Basketball practices started on Nov. 1 this year, two weeks later than in the previous year.
"We'll know a lot more after Thursday night," Williams said. "When you get a chance to play someone else is when you get to know more about your team. Right now, when one group calls a play in practice, the other group knows what's going on, and you don't get a valid assessment of where you stand."
Although Williams has not yet announced a starting lineup, he said that senior guards Adonis Jordan and Rex Walters probably would be starters. Junior forward Richard Scott and senior center Eric Pauley ended last season as starters, but Williams indicated that he would start whoever was willing to perform well this season.
Alonzo Jamison graduated last spring, leaving the other forward space open, possibly for junior Darrin Hancock, a junior college transfer.
Jordan said that the newcomers still had a few things to learn.
"It's hard for the new guys to get the plays down, but the older guys are trying to help them make that transition," he said.
Roy Williams
Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach
"We're not as consistent as I'd like to be..."
Sophomore guards Sean Pearson and Calvin Rayford are the other newcomers. The two attended Kansas last year but did not play after not meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.
Rayford, who will back up Jordan at point guard, said he still was adjusting to the college game.
"I'm still learning the system," Rayford said. "The point guard is the quarterback of the team, and the team reacts to whatever the point guard does, so I have a lot to learn. But I'm very excited about the first game."
Sophomore guard Greg Gurley said that the hard work during preseason practices was starting to pay off.
"The first week we did a lot of drills and fundamentals," he said. "Now we're starting to put it all together. Every once in a while we have a bad day and lose our concentration. I think the mental part of the game is thinking that Coach Williams stresses, which will help us in the long run."
Kansas plays Marathon Basketball at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Allen Field House. Although schedules and tickets call the team Marathon Oil, the company dropped its sponsorship several years ago.
The first regular season game is against Georgia on Dec. 1 in the field
Kansas coach Roy Williams speaks to the men's basketball team at Allen Field House. The Jahawks practiced yesterday to prepare for tomorrow's exhibition game against Marathon Basketball in the field house.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
BRIEFS
Chiefs to do food drive
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 100 needy families will be getting home delivery of free groceries this holiday season from some of the biggest delivery boys they've ever seen. Organized by defensive back Martin Bayless, every member of the Kansas City Chiefs will deliver two bags of groceries to homes in the Kansas City area, hoping to reach as many as 150 families.
In Saturday's loss to Iowa State, DeHoff had 10 kills, three service aces, 11 digs, one block and one block assist. In Big Eight competition, DeHoff is one of the leading hitters with a .336 hitting percentage.
Bayless' idea has drawn the full approval of the coaches, and owner Lamar Hunt has promised to match whatever amount of money the players raise among themselves to purchase the goods.
NCAA honors swimmer The Associated Press
Kim DeHoff, middle blocker for the Kansas volleyball team was chosen the Big Eight Volleyball Player of the Week for her performance last week. DeHoff, 6-foot-1 senior from Tonganoxie helped Kansas earn its third Big Eight victory of the season Nov. 11 against Kansas State. She had 10 kills, two service aces and four block assists.
CHICAGO — Tennessee swimmer Catherine Byrne was named the 1992 NCAA Woman of the Year on Monday night. Byrne, 22, of Solon, Ohio, was chosen from 10 finalists and honored at a dinner in Chicago.
The award is based on academic achievement, athletic accomplishment and community service and leadership. "Catherine exemplifies the best of women's collegiate athletics in the 1990s," said NCAA President Judith Sweet, director of athletics at the University of California, San Diego. Former Kansas swimmer Barb Pranger was one of the finalists.
Jayhawk beats weakness in victory
DeHoff, player of week Kansan staff report
Undiagnosed illness delays tennis debut
By David Bartkoski
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas sophomore Rebecca Jensen showed few signs of weakness at last weekend's Rolex Regional tennis tournament in Omaha, Neb.
She defeated six players on her way to winning the singles title and combined with junior Mindy Weiner to take the doubles title.
But Jensen has not always played so strongly this fall. In fact, the Rolex tournament was her first competition of the season.
Jensen missed tournaments in September and October because of
an undiagnosed illness that made her feel weak on the court.
Several medical tests were run on Jensen, but no specific virus could be detected.
"I would go out on the court, and after 15 minutes, I would feel very sick," she said. "It was hard to deal with. Sometimes I'd just be really down."
Jensen said that three weeks ago she stopped feeling the symptoms of her illness and began to focus on the Rolex tournament.
Even though Jensen won last year's Rolex title, she was still nervous going into this year's event.
"I've never felt that nervous before in my whole career," she said. "As the matches went on, I felt more confident in myself."
Jensen began her singles title quest
with a 6,2-7,5 victory against Tonna Rieger of New Mexico.
After winning her next three matches, she faced Oklahoma State's Christiant Siriani in the semifinals.
Jensen defeated Siriani 6-2, 6-3.
She said that after she beat Siriani,
she knew there was no way she
could lose the final.
Jensen thrashed BYU's Jennifer Saret 6-0, 1-6 to take the title. She also received an automatic invitation to play in the Rolex National Indoor tournament from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7 in Minnesota.
Kansas coach Chuck Merzbacher said Jensen was unstoppable in the tournament.
She was right.
"She was like a locomotive once she got going," he said.
Merzbacher said he also was pleased with the overall performance of the women's team, which finished the tournament with a cumulative singles and doubles record of 24.8.
The injury affected her play that day in both singles and doubles, she said.
Weiner, Jensen's double partners, won one game in singles competition before falling to Oklahoma State's Mercedes Fernandez 3-0, 7-6.
"I couldn't grp the racket after I hurt my hand," she said. "Rebecca played most of the first doubles match herself."
Weiner, who has fought a shoulder injury all season, said she hurt her hand the first day of competition.
Jensen and Weiner received a bye in the first round before winning all five of their matches and earning a berth to the Rolex National Indoors tournament.
ter after that day and that she felt more comfortable playing with Jensen as the tournament progressed.
They won the tournament after Sarah Mugnaini and Jennifer Holmes of Brigham Young defaulted in the championship match. Jensen and Weiner were leading 5-0 in the first set at the time.
Weiner said that her hand felt bet-
Both players thought they had not reached their potential as a doubles team.
"I don't think we've to come close to our best pets together," Weiner said. "that tournament gave us even more confidence."
Associated Press bowl predictions
Here's the AP's projected football lineups based on the current standings and statistics of college football teams in the nation:
Sugar — Miami vs. Alabama
Cotton — Texas A&M vs. Florida St.
Orange — Nebraska vs. Notre Dame
Rose — Washington vs. Michigan
Flesta — Colorado vs. Syracuse
Blockbuster — Penn St vs. Stanford
Gator — North Carolina St vs. Georgia
Citrus — Ohio St vs. Florida
Hall of Fame — Boston College vs. Tennessee
Liberty — Air Force vs. Mississippi
Freedom — Southern Cal vs. Wisconsin
Hancock — Arizona vs. Texas
Independence — Wake Forest vs. Southern Mississipi
Aloha — Hawaii vs. Kansas
Peach — Mississippi St vs. North Carolina
Holiday — San Diego St vs. Michigan St.
Copper — Washington St vs. BYU
Silver — Bowling Green vs. San Jose St.
Source: The Associated Press
NCAA says Nebraska coach may have violated guidelines
OMAHA, Neb. — When Nebraska quarterback coach Turner Gill answered a booster's question, he walked into the gray area of an NCAA rule that prohibits college coaches from talking about recruits, an NCAA official said yesterday.
The Associated Press
While speaking Monday at the Extra-Point Club luncheon in Lincoln,Neb. Gill answered a question from the audience about Nebraska recruiting Wood River quarterback Scott Frost, who widely is considered one of the top high school players in the state.
"We're going to recruit Scott Frost without a doubt," Gill said in the Omaha World-Herald. "He's a great quarterback and a great athlete."
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said,
"What do we do? We wait until you see
"I made a mistake. "Gill said yesterday. "It shouldn't have happened. Nobody's here to break any rules. It certainly wasn't intentional."
Bob Oliver, NCAA director of legislative services, said yesterday that it was not clear whether Gill's comment violated the rule.
what the NCAA decides to do. It's one of those things. Here is a game, a second-year coach, who tried honestly to answer a question from a booster."
At issue is NCAA rule 13.11.1, which restricts comments by college coaches only to confirming that they are recruiting an individual player.
Unfortunately, Osborne said, a reporter was there to record it.
Oliver said that it would be a stretch to make a firm case out of Gill's comment made in such a situation. But he said that someone may report the incident as a violation.
Marlins, Rockies differ in first-round choices
The Associated Press
Lee Smith, Danny Tarttabul, Shawn Dunston and Jose Lind, all mentioned in possible trade talks, were not selected. Instead, Florida focused on minor leaguers at the start while Colorado concentrated on lower-priced veterans.
NEW YORK — Bryan Harvey, Charlie Hayes and Jack Armstrong were among the more prominent players picked in the first two rounds yesterday as the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins began the expansion draft by going in different directions.
But Markins general manager Dave Dombowski said he still expected a half-dozen deals by the time the third and final round was finished. There was a chance, for example, that Jody Reed were traded from Colorado to Los Angeles and that Greg Hibbard might go from Florida to the Chicago Cubs.
As expected, Atlanta pitching phenomenon David Nied was the No. 1 overall choice by Colorado. Toronto outfield prospect Nigel Wilson was taken next by the Marlins.
After that, it was clear which way the Marlins and Rockies were going in the first round as they took turns choosing players left off 15-man protected lists. Colorado went for experience and Florida went with youth in baseball's first draft since Toronto and Seattle picked 16 years ago, and both avoided the available, high-priced talent.
It was all business as the Rockies, looking for power hitters to play at Mile High Stadium and experienced pitchers to keep the ball down, loaded up right on current major lea-
Colorado's first 11 picks, including Hayes, Reed, Jerald Clark, Kevin Reimer, Alex Cole, Darren Holmes and Joe Girard have all played in the majors. There was a chance, however, that Reed and Reimeter would be traced once the draft was completed with each team having 36 players.
"Just throw a lot of sinkers and keep the ball down," applauded Holmes, who pitched for Milwaukee's Triple-A Denver team last season.
The Marlins, meanwhile, began an immediate youth movement.
Twelve of Colorado's 13 choices in the first round have been in the big leagues, combining for a total of 2,794 games in the majors. The average age of the Rockies' first-rounders for opening day 1993 is 26, and only five of the players will be 25 and under by then.
Of Florida's 13 picks in the opening round, only six have been in the majors, combining for 622 games. They took 10 players who will be 25 and under by next April, for an average age of 24.6 on opening day.
The only odd name in the Marlins' lot was Harvey, who led the American League with 46 saves in 1991, but missed most of the last year with an injury blow. The California Angels owed him $11.25 million for the next three years.
The draft also included trades that left players like Walt Weiss, Danny Jackson, Jody Reed and Greg Hibbard on new teams.
Harvey, 29, was the oldest player taken in the first round. Later, Florida took 31 year-old pitchers Tom Edens from Minnesota and Jim Corsi from Oakland.
Florida selects Royals Conine
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals lost first baseman-outfielder Jeff Connec to the Florida Marlins in the first round of the expansion draft yesterday.
The Associated Press
Conine, 25, was acquired by Kansas City in the 85th round of the 1987 free agent draft and was named AA Most Valuable Player in 1990.
He debated with the Royals in 1990 and was recalled from AAA again this August.
Conine was in the last months of a one-year contract with the Royals.
"With no other real competition at first base, I think it will give me a good chance to play every day," Conine said. "I feel good getting in on the ground floor of an organization."
The Martins took pitcher Andres Derumen in the second round and outfielder Kerwin Moore in the third round.
Durenm pitched for the Royals minor league club in Appleton, Wis., last season, leading the team with 13 saves.
Moore, 22, was on Royals 40-man major league roster this season.
He had played for Royals minor league teams in Baseball City, Fla., and Memphis, Tenn.
In five seasons in the Royals system, Moore had 200 stolen bases, but never hit above .238 in any season.